Category Archives: Reviews

Safe asset: Kaffe Fassett

Posted on October 3, 2012 by barczablog

Today I escaped from the urban rat race in the company of hundreds of fans of designer Kaffe Fassett.  We’d gone where the GPS won’t go, somewhere in the vicinity of Brantford Ontario. Fassett is the Mick Jagger of the … Continue reading →

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Radical Cycle

Posted on September 30, 2012 by barczablog

When you think about it, the notion of a “radical cycle” is a bit of an oxymoron.  Cycles are usually understood to be stable and repeating, which is hard to imagine if something is radical. Radical Cycle is also the … Continue reading →

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The eternal question

Posted on September 30, 2012 by barczablog

Paper or plastic?  Shaken or stirred? How about Verdi or Wagner?  That was one big question tonight.  While some people chose to attend the opening of the COC’s Il trovatore, I opted for Wagner, namely Die Walküre.  Oh dear, …I’m … Continue reading →

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Fry and Wagner

Posted on September 28, 2012 by barczablog

It’s almost 2013, the bi-centennial for both Giuseppe Verdi & Richard Wagner (that is, a pair of composers born in 1813). Last night I watched the dress rehearsal of Il trovatore at the Canadian Opera Company’s Four Seasons Centre.  Tonight … Continue reading →

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Sounding amazing

Posted on September 27, 2012 by barczablog

I saw and heard the dress rehearsal of the new Canadian Opera Company Il trovatore at the Four Seasons Centre. While it’s understood that singers are permitted to mark, the headline tells you everything you need to know: Ramón Vargas’s … Continue reading →

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Worth Waiting for Julie

Posted on September 15, 2012 by barczablog

There is much to admire in Louis Dufort’s opera Julie Sits Waiting.  It’s conservative to suggest an opera “belongs” in any sense to the composer, particularly a work that’s clearly a collaborative work across several disciplines.  Call me old-fashioned. But … Continue reading →

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Crossover Kaffe

Posted on September 3, 2012 by barczablog

“Crossover” is a word used to describe artists venturing into a new discipline.  It’s not always a complimentary epithet, considering that What some will celebrate as a new arrival others may perceive as an invasion Expectations aren’t necessarily very high, … Continue reading →

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Contrasting Butterflies

Posted on August 29, 2012 by barczablog

Classrooms can be amazing places for discovery, especially for the teacher.  Sometimes we can’t anticipate what develops right in front of us. Not long ago I showed two contrasting DVD versions of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly to my opera class. Having … Continue reading →

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Herheim’s Bayreuth Parsifal

Posted on August 14, 2012 by barczablog

I saw Stefan Herheim’s Parsifal tonight via the miracle of the internet, a complex take on the opera that rewards the serious viewer/listener.  I found it here, via links that may not be live much longer.  If you want to … Continue reading →

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Coen Oddball

Posted on August 11, 2012 by barczablog

The phrase “Coen Oddball” may seem redundant or non-specific, when that bizarre heading matches so many of the Coen Brothers’ films. Raising Arizona?  oddball comedy Fargo? oddball thriller with pregnant cop stalking killer on frozen lake Oh Brother Where art … Continue reading →

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